Racing metaphor

First written on JRE blog on December 15, 2003:

I love the racing metaphor for the political campaigns. I used to do that kind of stuff before... and ..., usually the winner comes from behind with a strong finish. But once I saw a looong race, two miles, where an old experienced jockey rode a sprinter and got ahead of the pack immediatelly. Everybody knew he was just marking tempo for another horse from the same stable, so they settled behind him and waited, and waited, and did not notice they were going at a slow steady canter for almost two miles. When they arrived to the final stretch, it was too late, the guy in front rode a sprint and won. Point of the story: Anything can happen, and sometimes a big risk pays off. There are still some months to go and, as we saw today, news of the day can change everything very fast. Another point of the story: Know your horse and ride YOUR horse's race not what the other jockeys try to force on you.